Though Cuban society has been closed off from the world for a half-century, there remains an uncanny openness about the nation’s people. Pop into a random apartment and the worst you may get is a wary stare, followed by a joke. Cubans seem inoculated from the preoccupation with privacy that infects other countries. Life is lived in public here, doors cast open to the night, beckoning the passers-by.

What do you think has contributed to the openness and lack of interest in privacy among the Cuban people? How might this element of culture affect diplomatic relations, the Cuban government handling potential situations involving protesters during the Obamas’ visit, and even the expectations the public may have about the Obamas and their visit? Explain.